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Still from video of Jan 19, 2012 long duration solar flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) which is expect to reach Earth on Jan 21, 2012. Credit: NASA/SDO › Link to associated news item
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Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/011912-flare.html
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Still from video: Comet Lovejoy blazes toward the sun and its tail wiggles as it interacts with the solar wind as seen by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which adjusted its cameras in order to watch the trajectory. Not only does this help with comet research—such as how big the comet is and what it's made of -- but it may also help orient instruments on SDO. Since the scientists know where the comet is based on other spacecraft, they can finely determine the position of SDO's mirrors....
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/lovejoy-sdo-approach.html
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Still from video: Comet Lovejoy is seen here exiting from behind the right side of the sun, after an hour of travel through its closest approach to the sun. By tracking how the comet interacts with the sun's atmosphere, the corona, and how material from the tail moves along the sun's magnetic field lines, solar scientists hope to learn more about the corona. The movie was filmed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in 171 Angstrom wavelength, which is typically shown in yellow. Credit:...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/lovejoy-survives-sdo.html
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This image from the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) taken the morning of Dec. 16, 2011 shows the comet head emerging from the right side of the sun. The comet does seem to have left its tail behind, however –that's the nearly vertical streak that remains on the left side of the sun. The comet's survival surprised NASA scientists. Credit: ESA/NASA/SOHO › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/lovejoy-soho-121611.html
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Still from video: Comet Lovejoy blazes toward the sun and its tail wiggles as it interacts with the solar wind. By the end of the day on December 15, 2011, the comet will graze some some 75,000 miles above the sun's surface through the several million degree solar corona, and quite likely evaporate. The movie was recorded by STEREO using the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instrument. Credit: NASA/STEREO/NRL › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/lovejoy-stereo-approach.html
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In early December, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory's (SOHO) online "Pick of the Week" reached an impressive milestone: its 500th edition. This is an incredibly popular feature, which highlights one video or image of the sun each week. Featured here are solar images taken from November 22-28, 2011. The Sun produced about a dozen coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in eight days and it did seem like it was working overtime. The SOHO C2 coronagraph shows the storms (both large and...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/soho/soho-potw-500.html
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ISS030-E-014379 (21 Dec. 2011) --- Comet Lovejoy is visible near Earth’s horizon in this nighttime image photographed by NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, Expedition 30 commander, onboard the International Space Station on Dec. 21, 2011.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/gallery/iss030e014379.html
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At approximately the same time as the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) launch on November 26, 2011, shown here on the right, a solar explosion hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth and the Red Planet, as seen in the image on the left captured by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. Credit: SOHO
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/cme-msl-launch.html
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At approximately the same time as the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) launch on November 26, 2011, a solar explosion hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth and the Red Planet, as seen in this image captured by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. Credit: SOHO › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/20111126-cme.html
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A cut-away illustration of Earth's interior. At the heart of our planet lies a solid iron ball, about as hot as the surface of the sun. Researchers call it "the inner core", which is 70% as wide as the moon. It spins at its own rate, as much as 0.2o of longitude per year faster than the Earth layers above it. Surrounding the iron ball is an ocean of liquid iron known as "the outer core." This inner and outer core duo is referred to as Earth's geodynamo. Surrounding the core...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/earths-dynamiccore.html
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Schematic illustration of the invisible magnetic field lines generated by the Earth, represented as a dipole magnet field. In actuality, our magnetic shield is squeezed in closer to Earth on the Sun-facing side and extremely elongated on the night-side due to the solar wind. Earth's polarity is not a constant. Unlike a classic bar magnet, the matter governing Earth's magnetic field moves around. Geophysicists are pretty sure that the reason Earth has a magnetic field is because its solid iron...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/Earths-magneticfieldlines-dipole.html
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The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured this image of the X1.9 class solar flare from November 3, 2011. Credit: NASA/SDO › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/20111103-x1.9.html
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The sun let loose with at least six coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- solar phenomena that can send solar particles into space and affect electronic systems in satellites -- from 7 PM ET on September 18, 2011 until 1 PM on September 19. The ejections appear to come from points scattered over the surface of the sun. Two CME's dissipated quickly, but four continue to spread outward from the sun. NASA models suggest that the leading edge of one CME will pass by Earth at around 5 PM ET on Sep 21, at...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/20110920-6cmes.html
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An X1.4 class flare erupted from the sun, peaking at 7:01 AM ET on September 22. The flare came from sunspot N15E88, which is just moving into view as the sun rotates. This flare has caused elevated proton levels on the East (left) side of the sun. Associated with this flare, there was a significant CME that began around 7:24 AM ET. The image taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, is shown in multiple wavelengths of light simultaneously (211, 193, 171 angstrom). The different wavelength...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/20110922-x1.4flare.html
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A widespread display of auroras erupted late Friday and into Saturday, August 5 and 6, when the August 3, 2011 double-CME hit Earth's magnetic field and sparked a G4-category geomagnetic storm. Auroras were visible in the continental U.S. in Utah, Nebraska and Colorado and in Europe as far south as England, Germany and Poland. This image was taken by Scott Lowther in Thatcher, Utah on August 6, 2011. "The auroras were just barely visible to the naked eye here in Utah as a pink glowing dome...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/dbl-punch-aurora.html
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An x-class flare began at 3:48 AM EDT on August 9, 2011 and peaked at 4:05 AM. The flare burst from sun spot region AR11263, before it rotated out of view. The image here was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in extreme ultraviolet light at 131 Angstroms. This image is from the beginning of the event just before the satellite sensors were overwhelmed by energetic particles. Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/20110809-x7Flare.html
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An active region, observed in extreme ultraviolet light (193 angstrom) by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, burst out with a short-lived M9.3 flare. The flare originated from active region 1261 and began at about 10:02 p.m. EDT and ended around 10:12 p.m. EDT on July 29, 2011. Because the location of the eruption and its sunspot at that time, the associated high-energy particles went wide of Earth and had little terrestrial effects. The region that unleashed the flare has now rotated to be...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/news072911-m9flare.html
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July 21, 2011: Space shuttle Atlantis landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, wrapping up the final mission of NASA's space shuttle program. At 08:27:48 UT, just 21 minutes before the deorbit burn, astrophotographer Thierry Legault captured what might be the last picture of Atlantis in space--and it was a solar transit. › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/20110721-atlantis-transit-zoom.html
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July 21, 2011: Space shuttle Atlantis landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, wrapping up the final mission of NASA's space shuttle program. At 08:27:48 UT, just 21 minutes before the deorbit burn, astrophotographer Thierry Legault captured what might be the last picture of Atlantis in space--and it was a solar transit. › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/20110721-atlantis-transit.html
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SOHO/LASCO C2 image of the spectacular June 7, 2011 coronal mass ejection (CME). This image was taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) C2 coronograph which images the corona from about 1.5 to 6 solar radii. Credit: NASA/SOHO › Link to related news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/20110607-sohoC2.html
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A "sun grazing" comet as caught by Solar and Heliospheric Observatory's (SOHO) Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) C2 camera as it dived toward the sun on July 5 and July 6. SOHO is the overwhelming leader in spotting sungrazers, with over 2000 spotted to date, aided by the fact that the sun's bright light is itself blocked out by the coronograph. The SOHO LASCO C2 camera images the inner solar corona up to 8.4 million kilometers (5.25 million miles) away from the Sun....
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/comet-streaks-sun.html
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Artist's rendition of one of the two identical Voyager Spacecraft in space. Credit: NASA
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/mission_voyager.html
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This model is an indication of the complexity of the ionosphere-thermosphere-mesosphere (ITM) system of planet Earth and the range of physical processes operating. Credit: NASA/J. Grobowsky
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/itm-processes.html
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Graphic of proposed IRIS spacecraft. The IRIS instrument is a multi-channel imaging spectrograph with a 20 cm UV telescope. IRIS will obtain spectra along a slit (1/3 arcsec wide), and slit-jaw images. Credit: NASA
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/mission_iris.html
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A solar prominence (also known as a filament when viewed against the solar disk) is a large, bright feature extending outward from the Sun's surface. Prominences are anchored to the Sun's surface in the photosphere, and extend outwards into the Sun's hot outer atmosphere, called the corona. A prominence forms over timescales of about a day, and stable prominences may persist in the corona for several months, looping hundreds of thousands of miles into space. Scientists are still researching how...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/solar-prominence.html
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A sunspot prediction for solar cycle 24. Planning for satellite orbits and space missions often require knowledge of solar activity levels years in advance. Current prediction for the next sunspot cycle maximum gives a smoothed sunspot number maximum of about 58 in July of 2013. As of March 2011, we are over two years into Cycle 24. The predicted size would make this the smallest sunspot cycle in nearly 200 years. Credit: NASA/MSFC/Hathaway
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/sunspot-prediction-cycle24.html
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Technological infrastructure affected by space weather events include satellites, aircraft, and power grids. A web of inter-dependencies makes the modern economy especially sensitive to solar storms. This is why advancing the understanding of the causes of space weather and improving its forecasting are critical goals. Credit: NASA
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/Tech-affects.html
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Eleven years in the life of the Sun, spanning most of solar cycle 23, as it progressed from solar minimum to maximum conditions and back to minimum (upper right) again, seen as a collage of ten full-disk images of the lower corona. Of note is the prevalence of activity and the relatively few years when our Sun might be described as “quiet.” Credit: NASA
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/solarcycle23.html
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This cutaway model shows a red “shelf” layer of a Kuiper Belt object peeking through the thin, darkened crust above so that the object appears red in telescopes. Credit: NASA/Conceptual Image Lab/Tyler Chase › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/102710kuiper-labeled.html
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SOHO's 2000th comet, spotted by a Polish amateur astronomer on December 26, 2010. Credit: SOHO/Karl Battams › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/122810comet.html
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An artist's rendition of the five THEMIS space spacecrafts traveling through the magnetic field lines around Earth. Credit: NASA › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/013111speedy.html
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A very long solar filament that had been snaking around the Sun erupted Dec. 6, 2010 with a flourish. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) caught the action in dramatic detail in extreme ultraviolet light of Helium. It had been almost a million km long ((about half a solar radius) and a prominent feature on the Sun visible over two weeks ago before it rotated out of view. Filaments are elongated clouds of cooler gases suspended above the Sun by magnetic forces. They are rather unstable and...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/120610filament.html
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On January 4, the Hinode satellite captured these breathtaking images of an annular solar eclipse. An annular eclipse occurs when the moon, slightly more distant from Earth than on average, moves directly between Earth and the sun, thus appearing slightly smaller to observers' eyes; the effect is a bright ring, or annulus of sunlight, around the silhouette of the moon. Hinode, a Japanese mission in partnership with NASA, NAOJ, STFC, ESA, and NSC, currently in Earth orbit, is studying the Sun to...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/010611hinode.html
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NASA's STEREO spacecraft watched as an eruptive prominence rose up and arched out in a horseshoe shape far above the Sun's surface (Aug. 25, 2010). The image shows the action in an extreme UV wavelength as an eruptive prominence churns, then rises up, arches out, and finally breaks apart and dissipates above the solar surface. Prominences are clouds of relatively cool gases suspended in the Sun's hot corona by magnetic fields that sometimes break loose to create these dramatic eruptions. This...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/082710prominence.html
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This Solar Dynamics Observatory image of the Sun taken on January 10 in extreme ultraviolet light captures a dark coronal hole just about at sun center. Coronal holes are areas of the Sun's surface that are the source of open magnetic field lines that head way out into space. They are also the source regions of the fast solar wind, which is characterized by a relatively steady speed of approximately 800 km/s (about 1.8 million mph). As the sun continues to rotate, the high speed solar wind...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/011111holes.html
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This aurora over Valkeakoski, Finland on September 15, 2000 resulted from the September 12 coronal mass ejection featured in the video above. Credit: Tom Eklund › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/111810explosions.html
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SDO catches the action when the sun sends out a double shot. Credit: NASA/SDO › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/012811double.html
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The still image of the large X2 flare seen by Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in extreme ultraviolet light on February 15, 2011, enlarged and superimposed on an image of SOHO's C2 coronagraph for the same period. › Link to associated news item
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/gallery/20110214-xflare.html
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Artist rendition of MMS spacecraft.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/mission_mms.html
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Artist rendition of RBSP spacecraft.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/mission_rbsp.html
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Artist rendition of IBEX spacecraft.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/mission_ibex.html
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Artist rendition of SPP spacecraft.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/mission_spp.html
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Artist rendition of SDO spacecraft.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/mission_sdo.html
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Artist rendition of STEREO spacecraft.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/mission_stereo.html
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Artist rendition of FASTSat spacecraft
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/mission_fastsat.html
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An artist's concept of the ARTEMIS spacecraft in orbit around the Moon. Credit: NASA
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/mission_artemis.html
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A magnetosphere is that area of space, around a planet, that is controlled by the planet's magnetic field. The shape of the Earth's magnetosphere is the direct result of being blasted by solar wind. The solar wind compresses its sunward side to a distance of only 6 to 10 times the radius of the Earth. A supersonic shock wave is created sunward of Earth called the Bow Shock. Most of the solar wind particles are heated and slowed at the bow shock and detour around the Earth in the Magnetosheath....
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/magnetosphere2.html
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Artist concept of the Sun's Layers. Credit: NASA
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/Sunlayers-unlabeled.html
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The sun and its atmosphere consist of several zones or layers. From the inside out, the solar interior consists of the core, the radiative zone, and the convection zone. The solar atmosphere is made up of the photosphere, the chromosphere, a transition region, and the corona. Beyond the corona is the solar wind, which is actually an outward flow of coronal gas. The sun's magnetic fields rise through the convection zone and erupt through the photosphere into the chromosphere and corona. The...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/Sunlayers.html
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Diagram of the layers within Earth's atmosphere. Troposphere The troposphere starts at the Earth's surface and extends 8 to 14.5 kilometers high (5 to 9 miles). This part of the atmosphere is the most dense. Almost all weather is in this region. Stratosphere The stratosphere starts just above the troposphere and extends to 50 kilometers (31 miles) high. The ozone layer, which absorbs and scatters the solar ultraviolet radiation, is in this layer. Mesosphere The mesosphere starts just above the...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/atmosphere-layers2.html
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This is an artist's concept of our Heliosphere as it travels through our galaxy with the major features labeled. Termination Shock: Blowing outward billions of kilometers from the Sun is the solar wind, a thin stream of electrically charged gas. This wind travels at an average speed ranging from 300 to 700 kilometers per second (700,000 - 1,500,000 miles per hour) until it reaches the termination shock. At this point, the speed of the solar wind drops abruptly as it begins to feel the effects...
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/Heliosphere.html
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The crew of STS-85 used a 35mm camera with a time exposure to record this image of the southern lights or Aurora Australis. The vertical stabilizer of the Space Shuttle Discovery appears in the foreground. Image credit: NASA
Topics: What -- STS-85, What -- Space Shuttle Orbiter
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/171269main_image_feature_776_ys_full.jpg
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Where do meteor showers originate? To help answer this question, astronomers studied his past weekend's Quadrantid meteor shower. In particular, astronomers with specialized cameras flew as part of the Quadrantid's Multi-Instrument Aircraft Campaign (MAC) aboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft above northern Canada and studied the meteor shower in unprecedented detail. Pictured above is a composite image combining many short exposures. Visible in the image are the tail of the airplane reflecting a red...
Topics: What -- Beacon, Where -- Canada
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/207651main_quadrantids_vaubaillon_big_full.jpg
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The 2010 Perseid meteor shower is fully underway! This composite image shows the same Perseid meteor streaking over Lake Erie, seen from six different observing stations. The University of Western Ontario operates a network of eight all-sky cameras, and on the evening of Aug. 8, 2010, six of the stations recorded separate views of the same Perseid meteor. At approximately 9:59 p.m. EDT, this confirmed Perseid meteor was first detected at an altitude of 75 miles over Lake Erie, near the city of...
Topic: Where -- Ohio
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/474118main_composite_colorized_full.jpg
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The 2010 Perseid meteor shower is lighting up the August skies. This image shows two composite views taken on the night of Aug. 11, 2010. The image on the left shows a collection of observations taken from 42 single station events over Huntsville, Ala. The image on the right shows a composite view from 39 single station events over Chickamauga, Ga. Image credit: NASA/MSFC/D. Moser, NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/475179main_composite_perseids_full.jpg
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A pale green interloper among the stars of Cassiopeia, Comet Hartley 2 shines in this four-minute exposure taken on the night of Sept. 28, 2010, by NASA astronomer Bill Cooke. Still too faint to be seen with the unaided eye, the comet was 18 million miles away from Earth at the time. Cooke took this image using a telescope located near Mayhill, N.M., which he controlled via the Internet from his home computer in Huntsville, Ala. Comet-watching from the comfort of your living room? Modern...
Topics: What -- Cassiopeia, What -- Earth, What -- Sun, What -- Dawn
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/484976main_hartley2_sept2010_full.jpg
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Dec 28, 2010
12/10
Dec 28, 2010
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NASA
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Over 100 meteors are recorded in this composite image taken during the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, Dec 13 -14, using an all-sky camera operated by the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. A fish-eye view of the surrounding nighttime landscape at the Automated Lunar and Meteor Observatory can also be seen. Credit: NASA/MSFC/Danielle Moser, NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office
Topic: Where -- Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/506311main_20101214_MAXstack_03_full.jpg
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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The Cassini spacecraft delivers this stunning vista showing small, battered Epimetheus and smog-enshrouded Titan, with Saturn's A and F rings stretching across the scene. The prominent dark region visible in the A ring is the Encke Gap, in which the moon Pan and several narrow ringlets reside. Moon-driven features that mark the A ring are easily seen to the left and right of the Encke Gap. The Encke Gap is 325 kilometers (200 miles) wide. Pan is 26 kilometers (16 miles) across. In an optical...
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Cassini, What -- Titan, What...
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=4464
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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A large, bright and complex convective storm that appeared in Saturn's southern hemisphere in mid-September 2004 was the key in solving a long-standing mystery about the ringed planet. Saturn's atmosphere and its rings are shown here in a false color composite made from Cassini images taken in near infrared light through filters that sense different amounts of methane gas. Portions of the atmosphere with a large abundance of methane above the clouds are red, indicating clouds that are deep in...
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Cassini, What -- Huygens Probe
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=3763
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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These four images of Jupiter and the luminous night-side impact of fragment W of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 are different versions of an average of 8 images taken by the Galileo spacecraft of July 22, 1994. The frames that were averaged span about 30 seconds near 8:06 UT. These four "averaged" images show the scene without and with (top and bottom) spatial filtering and contrast enhancement, and without and with (left and right) a latitude/longitude grid. Grid spacing is 30 degrees, with...
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Jupiter, What -- Galileo
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=2172
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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Aerogel was used on the Stardust spacecraft to capture comet particles from Comet Wild 2. This image shows Dr. Peter Tsou handling the so-called "solid blue smoke." Aerogel is an incredibly light, extrtemely durable substance - .8 percent of the volume is empty space. By comparison, aerogel is 1,000 times less dense than glass, which is another silicon-based solid. When a particle hits the aerogel, it buries itself in the material, creating a carrot-shaped track up to 200 times its...
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Stardust
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=197
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129
Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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Mars 2 was the first of two orbiterlander combination spacecraft sent to Mars by the Soviets during the 1971 launch window. The orbiters were roughly cylindrical structures fixed to a large propellant tank base. The landers were egg-shaped modules with petals that would open on the Martian surface. The 1,000-kilogram landers (of which 350 kilograms was the actual capsule) were fastened to the top of the bus and protected by a braking shell for entry into the Martian atmosphere. After...
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Mars 2, What -- Mars
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=3423
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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Mercury's south pole was photographed by one of Mariner 10's TV cameras as the spacecraft made its second close flyby of the planet September 21. The pole is located inside the large crater (180 kilometers, 110 miles) on Mercury's limb (lower center). The crater floor is shadowed and its far rim, illuminated by the sun, appears to de disconnected from the edge of the planet. Just above and to the right of the South Pole is a double ring basin about 100 kilometers (125 miles) in diameter. A...
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Mariner 10, What -- TV...
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=2161
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1.5K
Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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The landing site selected for Apollo 14 was in the Fra Mauro formation near Cone Crater, with the primary objective of sampling material excavated by the Imbrium impact. The hilly terrain covering much of the left portion of the photograph is the Fra Mauro formation, material interpreted to be ejecta from the Imbrium Basin. The low-illumination angle emphasizes the undulating surface texture of the Fra Mauro formation. The sharp-rimmed crater on the northern rim of Fra Mauro Crater is Fra Mauro...
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Apollo 14, What -- Crater
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=823
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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eye 65
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Hurricane Charley makes landfall at 3:45 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, Aug. 13. Maximum sustained winds were near 140 mph with higher gusts. Hurricane force winds extended outward up to 25 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 85 miles. The storm cut a swatch across the state. *Image Credit*: NOAA
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, Where -- Florida
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=2844
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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These images, taken with the LEISA infrared camera on the New Horizons Ralph instrument, show fine details in Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere using light that can only be seen using infrared sensors. These are "false color" pictures made by assigning infrared wavelengths to the colors red, green and blue. LEISA (Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array) takes images across 250 IR wavelengths in the range from 1.25 to 2.5 microns, allowing scientists to obtain an infrared spectrum at every...
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- LEISA, What -- New Horizons,...
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=4843
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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This oblique photograph was taken looking south across Mare Imbrium. The crater Copernicus, 93 kilometers in diameter, is seen in the distance. Several chains of small craters are visible. These are oriented toward Copernicus and are secondary craters produced by material ejected when Copernicus formed. In the foreground, the crater Pytheas is 20 kilometers in diameter. This photo was taken by the Apollo 17 crew in 1972. *Image Credit*: NASA
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Crater, What -- Apollo 17
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=793
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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The European Space Agency's Rosetta comet-chaser took this picture of itself in space. The CIVA micro-imager on the Philae lander returned this image as part of its testing in May 2004. The back of a solar panel is seen here, with contours on the panel are illuminated by sunlight and surfaces of the spacecraft main body are recognisable at lower right. *Image Credit*: CIVA/Philae Consortium/ESA
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Rosetta, What -- Imager, What...
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=2548
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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This is what Dr. Goddard wrote in his diary for March 16, 1926, which was the day he launched the first liquid-fueled rocket. *Image Credit*: NASA
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=2233
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
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NASA
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An ultraviolet image of Venus' clouds as seen by the Pioneer Venus orbiter in 1979. Pioneer Venus used an orbiter and several small probes to study the planet from above and within the clouds. This image is from the orbiter. *Image Credit*: NASA
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Venus, What -- Pioneer Venus...
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=112
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
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NASA
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President Ronald Reagan addressed NASA employees during NASA's 25th Anniversary celebration at the National Air and Space Museum, October 19, 1983. On stage, around the cake (left to right) are: astronauts Guion Bluford and Dale Gardner (hidden); Dr. William Thornton; Daniel Brandenstein; Richard Truly (hidden); James M. Beggs, NASA Administrator; Dr. Norman Thagard; President Ronald Reagan; John Fabian; Frederick Hauck; David Walker; Dr. Rhea Seddon; Ellison Onizuka; Dr. Anna Fisher; Dr....
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, Who -- Guion Bluford, Who -- Dale...
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=1795
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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This illustration shows the approximate sizes of the planets relative to each other. Outward from the Sun, the planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Jupiter's diameter is about 11 times that of the Earth's and the Sun's diameter is about 10 times Jupiter's. Pluto's diameter is slightly less than one-fifth of Earth's. The planets are not shown at the appropriate distance from the Sun. *Image Credit*: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Sun, What -- Mercury, What --...
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=178
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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2nd Grade
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=92
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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This is an artist's concept of a comet dust trail and dust tail. The trail can only be seen in the light of radiated heat. The dust trail is made of particles that are the size of sand grains and pebbles. They are large enough that they are not affected much by the Sun's light and solar wind. The dust tail, on the other hand, is made of grains the size of cigarette-smoke particles. These grains are blown out of the dust coma near the comet nucleus by the Sun's light. *Image Credit*: K. Jobse,...
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, Where -- Ames Research Center (ARC)
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=903
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Sep 18, 2009
09/09
Sep 18, 2009
by
NASA
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This image from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's rear hazard identification camera shows the rover's hind view of the lander platform, its nest for the past 12 sols, or martian days. The rover is approximately 1 meter (3 feet) in front of the airbag-cushioned lander, facing northwest. Note the tracks left in the martian soil by the rovers' wheels, all six of which have rolled off the lander. This is the first time the rover has touched martian soil. *Image Credit*: NASA, Jet Propulsion...
Topics: Solar System Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planets, What -- Mars Exploration Rover (MER),...
Source: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=943
